Persephone's Perfect Present
by D.Minx
Summary: Valentines Fic: Once again Hades has let his work distract him... He overhears Persephone and learns that she thinks a big sentimental gesture would be 'nice' on Valentines Day... and when is that? Only in TWO DAYS?.! ...Can Hades get the perfect gift for his leading lady in time? **Takes place somewhere near the start of D.L.H** ...Enjoy Xx


_Hey peeps, for this Valentine's Day I decided to go back and write a good old-fashioned Hades/Persephone one-shot. As usual, I don't own Disney's Hercules (unfortunately) but I do own Persephone and all the other original characters and places that pop up and permission to use these is granted to those who ask first. For once this fic is not based on myth but rather a myth that built up around a straight-forward fact.._

…_enjoy xx_

* * *

**Persephone's Perfect Present**

It was a quiet February morning and while the imps were checking in the miniscule amount of souls that had graced the Underworld with their presence the blue-flamed Lord of the Dead was sifting through the mass paperwork of the Underworld Audit. For this time of year this was nothing new but it was a pain-staking effort that Hades wished he could do without…

'Urh, let's see, requisition forms for whips.. receipts for orders of brimstone.. good, good, that all appears to be in order..' The blue-flamed god murmured to himself, finding it easier to keep himself right if he spoke out loud. '-and the census of Tartarian convicts is…' Hades tailed off when his hand couldn't find the next scroll he wanted. He blinked in surprise and annoyance as his large pupils roved the desk littered with scrolls. The god then sifted through a few of them in irritation before his eyes spied a sheet that had slipped onto the floor by his bony black swivel-chair. Scooping it up the fiery god grinned widely as he found the scroll he'd been rooting for.

'-all present and accounted for.' Hades concluded with a sly smirk. 'Not that I thought anyone was missing..' He added with a light jest to himself with a smirk. Sighing heavily with slight relief, Hades placed these last few scrolls together with the rest of the scrolls for Tartarus. He always chose to do this realms expenditures first as it was the largest out of all of the Underworld, his wife's realm of the Elysian Fields coming a close second and was next to fall under his scrutiny.. It had taken him almost a whole week and a half to complete this arduous task but now the stock-take for his largest realm was done. The god then picked up the massive pile of Tartarian paperwork and filed it away, replacing the previous years paperwork which Hades immediately incinerated into ash.

'Oy vey..' The Lord of the Dead groaned as he slumped back into his black bony swivel-seat. '-one realm down, three more t'go..' The fiery god then pulled the file of scrolls from his wife's realm and a slight smirk curved his full blue lips as a faint waft of her flowery perfume touched his nostrils. His golden eyes and large pupils instantly focused on her long rounded and feminine looping letters. His smile twitched slightly as he began to scan the information, he could easily have let his wife to do the audit for her own realm but his pernickety nature would cause him to double-check her work so he was better off just doing it himself. Besides, with spring around the corner he would get a reprieve while his little wifeykins would be off doing her surface duties…

* * *

Around midday Hades chose to stretch his legs and recharge his worn-out mind. First he wandered into the kitchen and made himself a coffee and a quick snack. Once he'd polished this off the god took his coffee for a wander, heading in the direction of the throne room planning on taking a short break before getting back to the Underworld Audit. As the blue-flamed god approached the main chamber of his home he heard voices coming from inside. He identified them immediately as his wife talking with Hermes. The little blue god had obviously dropped in for a gossip with his best friend while he had a spare moment.

'-and apparently Hephaestus is working in a golden girdle for Aphrodite as a surprise but you didn't hear that from me, 'kay babe? I did say I'd keep it on the down low..' Hades kept very quiet as he approached the cavernous archway leading to his throne room, he could see the little blue god perched of his wife's armrest beside Persephone while his side of the throne sat empty and abandoned.

'And you translated 'on the down low' as coming down here and spilling the beans to me?' Persephone kinked a neat eyebrow as a smirk of amusement curled her cherry lips. Then when Hermes threw her a guilty and sheepish grin a cascade of girlish giggles burst from her lips.

'_Aww_, c'mon Seph! You're my best friend, I tell you everything I hear on the grapevine..' The little blue god spluttered out defensively then folded his arms and smirked. 'Besides, your down here in the big basement, who are you gonna tell?' He flashed her a wide smirk.

'My husband..' Persephone added as her smile widened in slight amusement.

'Oh yeh..' Hermes drawled as he chuckled with her. 'Like the H-man is just _dying_ to know what Hephaestus has planned for Valentines Day!' The Queen of the Underworld and the Messenger God both burst into laughter knowing that the blue-flamed god would not care one bit for such a useless titbit of gossip. Out in the hallway Hades looked as if he'd been punched in the gut, almost dropping his coffee as his eyes widened in shock.

'_Valentines Day.._' The fiery god uttered dumbstruck before pulling a small calendar scroll, that usually sat in his study, out of a curl of smoke and gasping in shock at the date…

…it was the twelfth!

The god then instantly made the calendar disappear back to it's rightful home still in shock. Valentines Day was in two days and he'd completely forgotten about it. Out of fairness the Underworld Audit was the main culprit of his lapse in memory… but that really wasn't a good enough excuse..

'Hey, speakin' of the H-man do ya think he has anything planned for you guys?' Hermes' voice brought Hades out of his mental scolding and back towards the conversation in the throne room.

'Probably just the usual Hermes..' Came Persephone's sighing response, a slightly dissatisfied look crossing her eyes but the goddess hid it very quickly then added with a slight smile. '-I'm really not expecting some over the top lovey-dovey sentiment from Hades, heh, that's not his style.. Besides, he's been so busy with this year's audit I'll be lucky if he even remembers the date.' Persephone took a sip of the drink she'd been holding in her lap in a white mug that matched Hades' though it had a large black 'P' instead.

'You want me to casually remind him?' Hermes sounded with a sly smirk towards his best friend. This caused Persephone to almost choke on her mouthful.

'_No!_' She eventually coughed out as her green eyes widened incredulously. 'Oh, good Gaia no, I don't want him thinking I'm fishing for any big sentimental gesture!'

'But you wouldn't say no to getting one, right?' The little blue god continued deviously and Hades leaned forward curiously, still hidden in the shadows, listening for her answer.

'Well..' Persephone mused. 'It would be nice..' The blonde goddess sounded in a soft dreamy tone which stabbed Hades' heart like a knife… _she really did want a sentimental gesture, didn't she? _The blue fiery god sighed heavily now with a slightly glum look. He was utterly useless when it came to romance… plotting schemes, creating diseases, sorting souls; no problem! Getting all lovey-dovey with the missus, well… something told him that his 'usual' ideas were just not gonna cut it this time..

'But don't you dare say anything to him Hermes.' Persephone's voice sounded with an icy edge to it now. 'I don't want him to think he has to do _anything_, I'd just be happy if we got to spend the day together..' The goddess then sniffed primly and the little blue Messenger God smiled.

'Whatever you say.. and for the record hun, I wish more girls were as easily pleased as you..' Hermes replied lightly. '-the H-man sure is a lucky guy..' Persephone smiled a slightly smug smile at this point.

'Heh, I can't wait to see his face when he finds out what I have in store for him..' The white-skinned goddess suddenly burst excitably.

'I'll say..' Hermes added cheerfully with a wide grin. 'He'll think his birthday came nine months early.'

_Damn_… Hades cursed inwardly as he realised his wife had already informed the Messenger God of her gift to him… _There has to be a way of wheedling it out of him. _As the fiery god thought this however Persephone spoke again.

'Now Hermes you better _not_ breath a word of this to anyone, ok?' Her green eyes flashed dangerously.

'For you Seph, I swear by the Styx I won't tell a soul living, dead or otherwise… at least not until _after_ the fourteenth.' The little blue god sounded with the hint of a cheeky smirk as he placed a hand in the air. This caused Persephone to laugh and shake her head, this was the best she'd get out of Hermes… the god was useless with secrets! He then instantly fluttered upwards as his mug vanished into a shimmer of light neon blue. 'Ouch, I gotta fly babe but good luck with the Valentines, I'll be back for the details after the big day… ciao!' Hermes then waved her off and vanished out of the throne room in a bright blue blur. Hades shook his head… _Well, there went that idea…_ The fiery god then rubbed his chin thoughtfully trying to think of some way to impress his wife this Valentines Day but nothing seemed to come to him. This was clearly something he was going to have to mull over carefully. His golden eyes then fell on the blonde goddess who was now on her own inside the throne room and he smiled then stepped into the room. Immediately her green eyes turned to him and a wide girly smile curved her cherry lips…

* * *

The blue-flamed Lord of the Dead found it difficult to focus on his Underworld Audit as everything about the Elysian Fields made him think of his wife and what he was supposed to do about Valentines Day. It didn't help that her flowery perfume still lingered on the receipts, the yearly Soul Census and Rebirth Forms that she'd submitted to him along with the order purchases for the relevant things needed to assist the running of this realm. The paperwork was shorter than the huge mass he had for Tartarus. Mainly because most of the things needed to run Elysium could be grown or found inside the realm. The reason he couldn't think of what to get his wife for Valentines Day was because he was unsure of what kind of gesture his wife was looking for. The fiery god mused for a long moment, deliberately disregarding the huge mass of paperwork scattering his desk. What he needed was some advice from one of his wife's friends. He could instantly rule out Hermes, that little flying blue moron couldn't keep a secret from his best friend to save his life. He couldn't go and ask his wife's other friend Psyche because the Goddess of Devotion would be busy helping her husband… besides, he did not want to go to Olympus and endure endless inane cooing from a bunch of cherubs that could use a good strangling. This left only one other friend he could ask. She'd be annoyed that he had woken her up early from her hibernation but desperate times called for desperate measures…

'Uh, sir..' A small voice sounded at this point, interrupting his musings and causing Hades to snap around irritated. His gold eyes instantly focused on Pain and Panic who were looking nervously up at him from the other side of his desk, each had a stupidly simpering grin plastered to their face.

'Sorry to butt in on your thinking your flamefulness..' Pain started then faltered under Hades' narrowed eyes of annoyance…

'Not Now.' Hades responded curtly. Whatever these two morons wanted it was not important right now.

'But there's a soul downstairs you really need to see.' Panic spluttered in disbeleif, not understanding why his boss was blowing this soul off, especially since it was one that he would _want_ to meet and greet himself.

'Don't care..' Hades sounded dismissively, rolling his eyes… yup, he'd been right, this wasn't important. '-I'm busy. Got somewhere more important to be..' The god uttered getting up from his seat then waving them off in a slightly irked fashion.

Both imps exchanged a look of bemusement now before turning back to Hades.

'But you said to inform you as soon as this guy arrived..' Pain sounded even more confused than usual.

'Alright, _listen_ to what I say now!' Hades snarled aggressively, leaning over his desk and glaring at his idiotic minions as his flames flared a dangerous yellow. 'Go and _deal_ with this stiff before I _deal_ with you two, _permanently!_' He screeched the last word as his entire being switched to a red-skinned tower of fury. Both imps immediately dashed out of the study and immediately Hades breathed heavily, calming himself down so that his flames and skin returned to there usual blue. He didn't want to terrify Persephone's friend or she'd never help him. Once he was calm again the fiery god vanished out in a pillar of smoke..

* * *

'Knockie, knockie..' The fiery god sounded as he stamped on the grassy ground at the edge of Lake Pergus. He waited a few moments then shivered slightly as the frosty February weather meant that the surface of Gaia was cold and icy with a gathering dust of snow.

'_Brrr_…' Hades rubbed his forearms with flames. '-this is ridiculous! How frickin' cold does the surface need to be?' The blue-flamed god scowled around the frozen Sicilian countryside. The Underworld was always a steady temperature all year round so he never had to deal with the cold… how did mortals put up with this insane climate. When there was no response from the blue naiad he was trying to rouse the blue-flamed god tried again, stamping harder and causing the ground to quake slightly. 'Wakey, wakey Sleepin' Beauty, time to rise and _shine!_' The fiery god flared irritably, which turned out to work in his favour as an aura of heat washed over his body staving off the freezing cold temperature. The slight shudder of the ground caused the waters of Lake Pergus to ripple and a bubbling voice spoke out sleepily.

'_Is it spring yet?_' Hades barely made out what was being said to him as the water of the lake distorted the girly voice of the water nymph who dwelled there.

'_Urh_..' The fiery god shut his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose, flaring in slight annoyance which once again sent a well needed jolt of heat over his body. He couldn't wait to get back home to the warmth of the Underworld, this freezing surface weather was driving him mashuga..

'Cya, I don't have time for this babe, I need to talk to ya now, will ya come up here a sec?' Hades called out, his tone coming out slightly more tetchy than he meant it to but the god blamed the cold weather which was still biting.

'_Hades?_' Cyane's voice bubbled confused before the waters began to ripple and separate as the watery nymph then broke the surface. The second Cyane burst through the translucent surface of her watery home she squealed out in shock as the freezing February air hit her.

'Cold, ain't it?' The blue-flamed god couldn't help but smirk widely in amusement, flashing the little blue naiad the top row of his sharp-pointed white fangs.

'_You son of a Titan!_' The little naiad squealed out indignantly as the fiery god laughed at her. 'It's still winter!' She shrieked before attempting to splash the god with a sweep of water out of the lake.

'Hey!' Hades swirled out momentarily into a curl of smoke to avoid the wave of water, reappearing instantly once the splash had passed. 'Watch it, will ya..'

'Why did you wake me up Hades?' Cyane frowned towards her best friend's husband, although she was annoyed at being woken up early she was also curious as to why he had sought her out in the first place.

'I need some advice regardin' the missus..' The blue-flamed god replied as his fiery hair flickered in the chilly air. His words made Cyane blink in surprise before the little water nymph then submerged herself in the waters for a moment then resurfaced. The little blue naiad was not used to the chill either and was trying to keep herself warm, with difficulty.

'Persephone?' Cyane sounded confused as her murky grey eyes fixed onto Hades again. 'Why didn't you go to Hermes?' The Messenger God had known the Goddess of Life almost as long as she had and he didn't hibernate through the cold season either.

'Ah c'mon babe, you know as well as I do that Twinkle Toes can't keep a secret to save his own skin and besides..' Hades responded, his blue flames flaring as the frosty chilly air hit him again. '-you're a chick and I'm kinda lookin' for a girl's perspective on this one anyway..'

'Alright, fine.. I'll help you on one condition..' Cyane rolled her eyes, and floated over to the edge of the lake Hades was stood.

'You name it sugar..' The blue-flamed god threw the little nymph a oh-so-typically suave leer.

'Heat up my lake..' Cyane responded with a smile. '-if I'm gonna help you I wanna be warm while doing it..'

'Hey, I can deal with that..' Hades' smirk widened, he had woken her up at such a cold time of year. '-I scratch your back, you scratch mine.' The fiery god then bent down on his knees and dipped a long-fingered bony hand into the large pool of water and instantly projected some warmth into the cool waters of Lake Pergus. Once the water temperature was nice and toasty the god removed his fingers and the heat still emulating from them caused the remaining water droplets to steam off in the freezing air. With her water now at a more agreeable temperature Cyane gave a light sigh of satisfaction as she dunked herself into the waters and resurfaced once more looking pleased.

'Thanks Hades, so what is you want to talk about?' The little naiad asked the Lord of the Dead who'd remained perched near the pool as the warm steam issuing from the lake meant it was less effort for him to stave off the freezing February air.

'Alright, here's the deal.. I wanna get my wife somethin' special for Valentines this year but have no clue what to get her..' The blue-flamed god reeled off quickly to the naiad in the water in front of him. 'You're her best friend, right? You must have some idea of what she'd like..' Cyane's murky grey eyes widened in shock at what was being asked, if she hadn't been so close to Hades and seen his lips move she would have sworn she'd imagined his words.

'Your asking me to tell you what to get Persephone?' She asked out in surprise.

'Eh, either that or give me a jist towards somethin' ya think she'd like..' The fiery Lord of the Dead shrugged carelessly as his smirk twisted crookedly, giving him a roguish appearance. '-but it's gotta be somethin' I can obtain ina day.' Cyane's brows raised at his words in intrigue before understanding melted across her face… he'd obviously let his work distract him into forgetting the date and now it as nearly too late..

'Well, I'm sure Persephone would just be grateful if you spent the day with her, you know as well as I do she doesn't like flashy gifts..' Cyane finally responded to the fiery god's words and Hades' mind instantly flashed back to his wife and Hermes talking…

'_I don't want him thinking I'm fishing for any big sentimental gesture!'_

'_But you wouldn't say no to getting one, right?' _

'_Well… It would be nice..' _

…Perhaps before hearing this exchange he would have believed the little nymph's words. Hades knew he was going to have to change tact to get Cyane to answer his question so he decided to rephrase his words.

'Ok, fine… but, say she _did_ want some big sentimental gesture, what kinda gift would she like?' The blue-flamed god thought Cyane might have to think about this but amazingly the naiad responded instantly.

'She's always wanted Homer to write an Iliad about her..' Hades blinked at these words.

'Excuse me?' He sounded completely bemused by this new information.. In all this time he'd never known that about Persephone.

'Homer's written an Iliad to every major goddess on Olympus and Persephone used to say that when she was given a purpose she would want him to write one on her..' Cyane sounded seriously. Hades stroked his chin in a musing fashion at this idea. It was true, even though he did not much care for the bard himself Homer had written a poem to every notable goddess on the big cloud and Amphitrite who was Queen of the Seas had one… even her own mother had received an Iliad in her name..

'_Hmmmm_…' Hades stroked his long chin thoughtfully. He'd never liked Homer's Hymn to Demeter, it was filled with lies in regards to his relationship with Persephone… perhaps if he could track down the mortal bard he could have Homer write an Iliad to Persephone and correct those lies that had corrupted the surface of Greece.. This idea caused him to smirk widely before his focus returned to Cyane. '-y'know, that's not actually a bad idea.' Immediately the fiery Lord of the Dead leaned over and pecked Cyane on the cheek then flashed her a grateful smirk. 'Cya, your a doll..' The little blue naiad nodded drowsily, yawning lightly as the cosy warmth of her pool was making her sleepy once more.

'Uh-huh, sure. No problem Hades now if you don't mind I'm going back to sleep and hopefully I won't be disrupted again until spring..' Cyane sounded adamantly, lancing the god with a look as if to say she would not be impressed if she was woken early again. Immediately she dipped down under the surface of her watery home and disappeared from sight. Hades immediately vanished out into smoke to go and track down the mortal bard and _persuade_ him to write his wife an Iliad..

* * *

…It was almost dark on the surface by the time Hades returned to the Underworld, cold, tired and beside himself with rage.. He could not find the mortal bard _anywhere_ on the surface! He'd looked everywhere he could think a middle-aged poet could be with no success.. If he didn't know any better he'd have thought that the mortal was not on the surface, which was stupid… where else could that useless mortal be?

Hades had reappeared in the throne room, intending on dealing with the last dregs of souls that were leftover from the mad winter pile up that he and the imps had been slogging their way through before the spring kicked in.

'Your tenaciousness…' The sound of Pain's voice drew the fiery god's attention towards the two imps as they scampered into the room via the Styx stairway.

'Oy vey..' Hades groaned in a low irritable tone as he rolled his eyes. He was only back a few seconds and they were pestering him already.

'We have a situation downstairs..' Panic added completely oblivious to the less than impressed look on his boss' face. '-the soul you asked us to just 'deal with' this morning is refusing to play ball, he's won't go into his afterlife until he sees you.'

'_Urh_…' The Lord of the Dead sounded as like a put-upon martyr. '-alright, alright show me where this stiff is.' He added in irritation… first he'd deal with this idiotic spirit, then he'd try and work out where this poet-yutz was hiding..

When the two imps brought Hades down to the Doom Service caverns, where the three judges operated, the fiery Lord of the Dead stared in shock at the soul that had been giving his minions so much trouble.

'_You!_' Hades snarled as his large black pupils locked on to the dead soul of Homer. '_I've been lookin' for you all freakin' day!_'

'Really?' Homer blinked confused. 'I died in my sleep last night. I thought you would have been well informed of my arrival..' Hades' yellow flames burnt brighter at this new information and immediately swivelled around to Pain and Panic, glaring furiously towards them. Both imps shrunk back nervously with simpering idiotic grins stretching their lips, they'd learnt very quickly that the easiest way not to get flamed was to look as pathetic as possible… though there was only a fifty-fifty chance of it working..

'Uh-oh..' Homer's keen senses for a story, which apparently even death itself couldn't erase, made the soul throw both god and minions an inquisitive look. '-trouble in the Underworld, is it?' Immediately Hades' eyes widened as he remembered that this dead guy had once been a journalist in his lifetime on the surface. The Lord of the Dead hated journalists' and the potteratzi… living ones tended not to be interested in him but the second they all kicked the bucket suddenly he was flavour of the month. And what made things more infuriating was the fact that they all ended up in Asphodel Fields so they were always mooching around for a story.

'Huh? No, no, everythin's fine..' His blue flames returned as Hades flashed a sharp white-fanged smile at the dead newscroll hound. Homer kinked a brow.

'Why… do I not believe you?' The soul sounded in a deadpan voice and this caused Hades to flare a nasty shade of red.

'Alright, you gotta death wish or what pal?' Homer looked down at his pearly transparent blue form and shrugged.

'I'm already dead. How much deader can a guy like me get?' The soul replied with a curious look. Hades suddenly looked furious, if there was one thing he hated more than journalists it was souls who answered back. Pain and Panic suddenly threw Homer a worried look then began gesturing agitatedly for him to stop irritating their boss and play along with him instead..

'Y'know, if it wasn't for the fact that I need ya t'do me a favour, I _might've_ let ya find out.' The now orange-flamed Lord of the Dead spoke in a soft cruel voice..

'A favour you say?' Homer suddenly switched his interest now, how many people could say that Hades wanted a _favour_ from them? Usually the god just wheedled and dealt his way into getting his own way without promise of a compromise… what could possibly be so important to his fiery lord to change his principles so swiftly?

'Yeh, and if you do me this tiny _nudgekin_ of a favour I will pull some strings with the judges and get you a better afterlife. Heh, sweet deal, huh? So whatta ya say, ya with me on this one?' The fiery god grinned widely towards the dead poet. As Homer considered this enticing offer both imps threw their boss a look of pure bewilderment.

'But your flamefulness..' Pain started. '-nobody's allowed to influence the three judges, they're supposed to remain impartial.'

'Section fifteen of the Fairness in Tartarus Act, subsection delta, part three states and I quote..' Panic started but was immediately cut off by Hades.

'I _know.._ what the Fairness in Tartarus Act says… I wrote the dammed thing, _remember!_' The Lord of the Underworld snarled furiously. 'Besides, I think I can get away with_ bending my own rules!_' The fiery god's skin switched to a nasty orange shade. 'Now I'm tryin' to work on a deal so why don't you little yutzes make like my personality and _split!_' He roared out this last word with a torrent of flames that shot after the imps as they dashed away.

'_Urrrrh_, Fate dammed pointy-eared sprites..' Hades sighed heavily as his blue flames returned. '-memo to me, memo to me… punish 'em next time see 'em..' Immediately the Lord of the Dead swivelled around to Homer.

'Uh-oh… looks like the Lord of the Dead is having a little competence issue with the minions, that could be damaging for business don'tcha think?' Homer's voice sounded with light jesting hidden deep within his inquisitive tone.

'Forget them!' Hades snapped irritably, his flames flaring a dangerous deep orange as he momentarily forgot himself. Recovering quickly from this the god suddenly returned blue and flashed the dead soul of Homer a sheepish grin. 'Ah-hah, forgive me Home-Boy, it's this time of year, it gets me kinda.. _testy_..' The fiery god's wrist spun around as he searched for the correct word before his grin widened as he uttered the last word.

'Understandable..' Homer sounded. '-with spring almost upon us this must be a difficult time for you.'

'Yeh, yeh, yeh..' The blue-flamed god waved him off dismissively. '-my life's one massive tangled knot in the Fate's tapestry which _coincidently_ brings us back around to the little deal..' Hades then paused to hold suspense as the soul of Homer, who was listening, kinked a brow at this point. 'So I bet your askin' yourself what it is I want from you, right?'

'The thought did cross my mind..' Homer responded in a deadpan voice and Hades sighed heavily to himself… sometimes he didn't know why he bothered.

'Alright Home-Boy, I'll level with ya..' The blue-flamed god lowered his hand and threw the god a serious look. '-I want ya to write an Iliad for my wife and if ya do this for me I'll getcha a better afterlife, 'kay?'

'What's the catch Hades?' Homer knew this god as well as any mortal who'd been following his career could.

'I need it done in one day, think ya can do it?' The god asked with a twisted smirk as his eyes narrowed.

'Hmmmm..' Homer rubbed his beard as he pondered this over. 'This could be tricky as I don't know a lot about our Underworld's Leading Lady..' The poet uttered vaguely. It was true, details of Persephone after her marriage to Hades were kept hidden by the Mysteries of Eleusis, only certain facts about the couple had been released and they'd been distorted by word of mouth as they spread so were unreliable.

'Hey, hey..' Hades chimed in at this point. '-this is what I'm here for. I will tell ya everythin' you wanna know Homer, all you gotta do is write it, whadda ya say, come on?' The god flashed him a 'what have you got to lose' look.

'Well, I must admit this does sound like a project I could really sink my teeth into..' Homer replied, still musing over his options. Suddenly his dark eyes, which were now a ghostly shade of translucent navy with a vague hint to the eye colour they'd been before, turned to the fiery Lord of the Dead. 'I'm guessing that you want me to keep it far away from my Hymn to Demeter?' At the mention of this Hades' flames flared a hissy yellow shade, immediately answering Homer's question before the god even spoke.

'I want only the _truth_ written in this, _capeesh!_' Hades snapped out touchily before his temper and flames switched back. 'But feel free to throw in some of that touchy-feely schmaltz you poets are infamous for, I plan to woo ma wife with it so that'll help.' As the god grinned at the dead bard Homer suddenly understood why Hades wanted this written in a day… he'd obviously forgotten about Valentines Day. If this was the case then Homer knew that in order to write it he would have to get to know Persephone through the eyes of her husband before then observing the goddess herself as she worked in the Elysian Fields. Having lived a pretty standard existence, despite his fame and fortune, meant that Homer was not likely to be granted access to the goddess' realm… this was probably the reason Hades was offering this deal… and he'd be mad to turn it down.

'Alright Hades, you have a deal..' Homer sounded in a business-like tone. '-as long as I can get access to the Elysian Fields I can write your Iliad.'

'Hey, cool bean… we're in business.' Hades exclaimed as he took Homer's spiritual hand in a firm handshake before scanning the judges scroll. 'And whatta ya know, you've drawn Rhadamanthus… lucky you, this guy owes me a favour.' The blue-flamed Lord of the Dead grinned before wrapping a large muscular blue arm around Homers transparent-like shoulders and led him down the hall towards the judge..

* * *

…_Valentines Day…_

Persephone sighed pleasantly as she opened her bright green eyes and blinked out of the lands of Morpheus. For a moment she just laid there enjoying the peace and quiet of the Underworld before she moved. Her eyes widened immediately when she discovered that she was alone in the huge sleigh bed she shared with her husband. Although this was normal for this time of year she had been hoping for a cosy lie-in with her hot-blooded hubby. The white-skinned goddess sat up and shrugged carelessly, there would be plenty of time for that later once she'd given him her 'gift'. A tainted girly smirk twisted her lips as she pulled out a scroll from a swirl of orbs, her mind instantly thinking of what she and her husband might be up to later. Persephone didn't bother dressing, instead she pulled her husband's black and red-cuffed dressing gown around her and left the bedroom… she just hoped he remembered what day it was today, she didn't want to go downstairs and find out him immersed in work.

In the throne room Hades placed his coffee mug on the side on the armrest of his throne, not taking his eyes off the scroll in front of him. A smile tweaked the god's full blue lips as his eyes scanned the perfectly spun words before him. Hades had no idea how Homer had done it but he'd created a master piece in just under a day… this was probably his best work to date, and it was for his wifeykins eyes only.

'Oh I should have known..' A familiar girly voice sounded, a little peeved edge creeping into the tone.

'Huh?' Hades immediately responded with a noise of confusion. Tearing his eyes away from the scroll in front of him and looking at Persephone who was scowling with disbeleif.

'I knew you were busy this month Hades but I honestly didn't think you'd forget the date!' The blonde goddess sounded irritably.

'But I-' The Lord of the Dead began only to get spoken over by his wife.

'I can't believe you'd actually be working on Valentines Day..' The Goddess of Life spat out like even the words themselves were bitter and offensive.

'Seph, Seph, Seph.. this ain't a work scroll my sweet..' Hades started in a thick suave tone that oozed out from his mouth.

'Oh sure it's not!' Persephone jeered with sarcasm, folding her arms as her blonde hair flickered as the edges threatening to burst into flame.

'Here…' Hades continued to smirk casually, holding out the unfurled scroll to his wife. '-have a look-see for yourself babe.' Suspicious about his calm exterior but curious about the scroll Persephone took it from her husband and turned her eyes to the writing on it. As soon as her bright green eyes made out the title of the parchment in front of her face she gasped out in shock.

'An Iliad About Persephone?' She blinked her eyes several times in disbeleif before she found herself looking at her husband. Hades was wearing a huge serpentine leer with lazily narrowed eyes towards her. 'How did you-?' She started to asked but this time her husband forestalled her.

'I have my ways.' Hades replied mysteriously then his smirk seemed to falter, a sense of nervousness settling within him as he knew his inner feelings for his wife was about to be revealed.

Persephone obeyed her husband and returned her eyes to the scroll. As the words written on the scroll flowed through her mind the Queen of the Underworld absent-mindedly placed a hand to her chest, her eyes welling up at the unfathomable adoration expressed before her. Her heart fluttered in her bosom and when she got halfway she had to pause as the poem was so overwhelming. The goddess then flicked away her first tear of joy as it curled her cheek and continued to read the poem. The whole thing seemed to be written from the view of Hades, explaining his mix of emotional states through their first year and a half as a couple… it was all written out beautifully. From the wallowing pit of despair he was in at the start, the shaky grasp of hope at the sudden warmth of companionship she had brought him, bridging up to trust and love… copious amounts of love which seemed to be holding onto a shard of uneasiness, like it was all too good to be true and he was unworthy of her. Persephone found tears of sadness hit her as just as everything seemed to untangle due to what Homer described as '_a crux from times of yore'_… The goddess knew he was talking about the whole mess with Adonis.. Her smile returned when the next line heralded their reconciliation, the whole scenario was probably the most moving part… it seemed to show how her husband inwardly rejoiced her return after '_an enduring week of trials' _and how the shard of uneasiness '_splintered_' as they coupled for the first time… There was no details, much to Persephone's relief so she wouldn't feel bad sharing this with her mother. Immediately after however her husband's fear and anguish was the focus as '_Zeus, our oh, so glorious ruler appeared and wrenched my heart and sweet away. Once again I was banished to the cold, without love or hope only the blackness and gloom of my eternal pit and final resting place.._' The Goddess of Life actually clasped her hand over her mouth at this line. She'd never really known Hades' true devastation at her abrupt departure but Homer had explained it all so beautifully that she couldn't help but read on, gripped by the scroll and desperate to see the end. She continued through the despair and melancholy described in her absence which disheartened her then when they were reunited on Olympus Persephone's cherry lips smiled and wiped her sad tears away. Her heart swelled with happiness as the poem ended..

'_This is the truth of how She of Light-Bearing-Face took in a discarded god and a desolate realm and transformed them into home.._' Persephone read the final line aloud then her eyes turned to her husband. 'Ohhh. That's so… _touching_.' Her voice almost cracked under the emotion in her as she clutched the scroll to her chest like a treasured possession.

'_Uhhh_.. Glad you liked it babe.' Hades responded awkwardly, unable to shake of his nerves as he felt exposed.

'I can't believe you actually had Homer write me an Iliad..' Persephone sounded, her eyes shining with a mixture of awe and admiration. 'You really didn't have to do this..'

'I didn't?' Hades replied with disbeleif, his round eyes widening as he gawped at her in shock. This made Persephone giggle, which was a joy to hear after watching her weep over the Iliad.

'No..' The goddess shook her blonde head and smiled secretively. '-but I'm glad you did. It feels like you've really earned this..' Immediately Persephone pulled out her scroll and held it out to her husband. Hades' brows kinked with intrigue as he stretched forward for the scroll his wife was holding out to him. The second he took it however Persephone vanished out into orbs, even before he'd opened the scroll. Confused by her sudden departure but also curious to see what this scroll she'd given him was all about Hades unfurled the scroll. It was his turn to do a double-take as his eyes almost bulged out of their socket's comically at the writing. Coughing harshly as he choked on his own disbelief Hades stared dumbfounded at the title of the scroll: **A Soul For A Day**. The now white-flamed god found himself staring at one of his own iron-clad contracts. The neat hand written scroll told Hades that his wife had written the title. Intrigued to see _exactly _what his little Wifey of Lifey was offering the fiery god's golden eyes scanned over his own contract, amused by the parts of it Persephone had scored out, coincidently things he wouldn't have dreamed of doing to his wife... Except for extending the sentence, his wife had also crossed this part off much to his disappointment.. His eyes also took in the bits she'd added such as: _'-failure to follow orders may result in cruel and unusual punishments. (Not too painful, PLEASE!)'_ The god laughed affectionately at this side comment, noting that she'd said 'too painful' so clearly she expected some. Hardly surprising with the amount of hickey's, bruises and burns he'd inflicted on her during their time together… all of which had healed themselves within an hour of infliction. However, even with these alterations he still had her complete power of attorney and control over her free will… he could order her to do whatever he wanted and keeping him happy was her number one priority. When his eyes got to the bottom of the scroll he found that she'd already signed it and this caused a depraved smirk to twist his lips. The Lord of the Underworld then tucked the scroll away inside his black toga and decided to test this new 'arrangement' between him and his lovely wife.

'Oh, Persephone..' He called out in a loud but still surprisingly suave tone. Immediately a swirl of orbs appeared and the Goddess of Life appeared on her knees with her hands laid flat on her thighs as she knelt on the floor, her eyes downcast to the stone tiles in front of her. She had dressed, but not in her usual tight black chiton. Instead she was wearing a two-piece outfit which consisted of a small black top section which barely covered her lovely assets and a skirt which was split right up to the thigh on both sides so he could glimpse her creamy skin. Her long blonde hair was pulled back into a high pony-tail and held in place with a thick black band, her two long wavy bangs at the front framing her heart-shaped face. For a split second Hades thought he would blow a gasket at how incredibly hot his wife looked in this little 'slave-girl' outfit and even though he kept his face straight his white-flames curled over his shoulders.

'You called my oneness..' Persephone spoke, her voice pliant and submissive with a slight husky hint that made his flames flicker with arousal. She lifted her eyes slowly until her pupils locked onto his and when she did Hades' depraved smirk widened at her as his eyes narrowed wickedly..

…_this was gonna be sweeeeet…_

* * *

_Little Notes:_

_Hey peeps, as you can probably guess due to the lack of kids and the fact that there's a single-seater in the throne room this fic takes place before Thanatos was born. I wanted to go back to Persephone and Hades after doing a kid's Valentines last year!_

_Ok, the story I used as a Greek myth reference was the story that explained why Homer had never written an Iliad in Persephone's name. When Homer died it was told that Hades was offended by the fact that the poet had not written an Iliad for his wife. The god refused to let Homer into his afterlife until the poet had written Persephone her own Iliad.. This poem/hymn was so beautiful that Persephone chose to keep it with her always, which is why nobody alive knows what it says. I thought this was such a touching little myth that I wanted to turn it into a fic._

_~Ditzy x_


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